The coastal areas of two of west
Africa’s smaller countries, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, are revealed in this
low-oblique, northeast-looking photograph. The boundary between the two
countries almost bisects the peninsula formed by the Casamance River to the
north (in Senegal) and the Rio Cacheu to the south (in Guinea-Bissau). Both
countries have low-lying coastal plains with many rivers and some broad, swampy
estuaries. These areas are part of west Africa’s better watered coastal states.
Mangrove forests (darker, uniform areas) lie along both major rivers.

Historically, Senegal has had close political and economic ties with France, and
Guinea-Bissau was a Portuguese colonial possession until 1974. The economies of
both countries are almost entirely agricultural, ranging from peanut production
in Senegal to a variety of crops in Guinea-Bissau (NASA - April 1991).

Guinea-Bissau is a republic in Africa, bounded on the north by
Senegal, on the east and south by Guinea, and on the
west by the Atlantic Ocean. The country includes about 60 islands, among them
the Bijagós Islands. The capital is the city of Bissau.